Time controls you – how to make time work for you?
What is time for you, a source of stress or a resource that opens up many opportunities?
We will help you figure out whether you manage your time or not. You will learn how to prioritize correctly and no longer experience stress due to your inefficiency 😉
Can you manage time?
There is no single “recipe” for efficient use of time. But don’t rush to leave. Instead, there are effective strategies and techniques to help you balance work and play time, streamline your to-do list, meet deadlines, and avoid distractions.
We have collected those methods that we actively use ourselves. With their help, you can develop your time management strategy.
1. Break big tasks into several small ones
It is especially effective to do this when you do not yet understand how long the task may take. You can set time limits and meet your deadlines without stress by breaking down a task into multiple parts. For example, make it a rule to allocate no more than three hours for one task. If this is not enough, break it down into even smaller tasks. So you can move towards large-scale goals and complete large projects.
2. Use the Pomodoro Method
Like the previous one, this time management strategy from Francesco Cirillo suggests splitting the time devoted to work. First of all, the method is good because every 25 minutes of work, there are 5 minutes to rest. And after four such intervals, you can have as much as a 30-minute break. It is important not to be distracted by other processes during set work intervals. To use the Pomodoro method, you will need a timer.
3. Don’t skip taking breaks
Oddly enough, you won’t get more done if you reduce the frequency or length of breaks. Numerous studies have shown that rest keeps you motivated, prevents burnout, and makes you more creative.
4. Start with the most challenging task
As Mark Twain once said, you need to “eat a frog in the morning” so that the rest of the day is wonderful because the worst is over. Start with the most difficult or unpleasant task on your to-do list. Then, when you deal with the “frog,” move on to the remaining less time-consuming tasks. But do not try to eat all the frogs at once. Limit yourself to one and the largest.
5. Use the Eisenhower matrix
By spending only 10% of your time planning and organizing your workflow, you will save 90% of your time. Before the start of the working day, sort your – tasks using a table with the following task blocks:
– urgent matters that cannot be postponed or delegated;
– processes related to improving performance – they can be delegated;
– “time eaters” tasks that do not give any results, distract from work, but it is impossible not to respond to them;
– tasks that do not directly affect the outcome but cannot be delegated.
By creating this matrix, you will soon see that the urgent things are not really the most important, and the important ones are not so urgent.
6. Create a working atmosphere
Properly organize the workplace, and make it comfortable and functional but not cluttered. Clutter in the workplace creates chaos in the head. Remove the excess, as it’s much easier to concentrate on one thing.
7. Automate everything that can be automated
It is not for nothing that thousands of developers worldwide work daily on products for automating workflows. Thousands of programs are designed to make your work easier, faster, and better.
We have shared with you those time management strategies used by millions of the most successful people on the planet. But before testing them, remember that each person is unique: listen to yourself and choose a strategy that matches your inner feelings.
